another wedding week

I'm back in Colorado already. I know--pretty great, right? This time I'm back because my Number One is getting married. You read that right--Emily, my Numero Uno, is getting married on Saturday. Why haven't you mentioned this any time in the past six months? you ask.

Well, I still don't really know what to say.

She's my little sister, and while I have every permission to grow up and get married, who said that Emily could? I love my little sister so, so much, and while sometimes it's hard to see her all grown up and in love, I really couldn't be more happy for her. Her fiance is wonderful and loves her and treats her just as my Number One should be treated.

{Emily and me on my wedding day almost two years ago.}

So once again we're in the midst of a wedding week complete with family and flowers and crazy and fun and probably some tears, but I wouldn't want to be any place else.

Now if only the bride could blow off finals and come here now! I guess I'll have to wait to see her tomorrow.

wedding thank-yous

Finished. And I am oh so grateful.

If I somehow missed you, I am so sorry and am so grateful for your wedding kindness. Just so you know.

the honeymoon: Cabo San Lucas

Josh and I honeymooned on a cruise to Mexico. We made port in three different cities and did different things in each one. Our first stop: Cabo San Lucas.

We booked a horseback riding excursion for Cabo, and we loved it! I didn't realize that Josh wasn't extremely excited about this activity until afterward when he said he surprisingly really liked it.

It was a trail ride instead of what I like to think of as a "free" ride (or riding wherever and however fast you want), but we got to ride along the beach, and it was beautiful. I think the only thing I was missing was being able to ride in slow motion.

I was riding in about the middle of the line, and Josh ended up nearer the back. He spent a good deal of the ride trying to make it up to where I was. However, when he finally came up behind me, his horse bit mine and mine kicked his in retaliation. We did get some pictures of us together, though, before we had to separate our feuding mounts.

Afterward we met Tsuba the Camel, a recently acquired pet of the horse ranch.

Before we headed back to Cabo proper we were able to enjoy an authentic Mexican quesadilla. You wouldn't think that the quesadillas I make and the quesadillas Mexicans make would be all that different, but they are--Mexican quesadillas are so much better.

Horseback riding on the beach was quintessential honeymoon material. We loved it!

 Next up on the honeymoon: Mazatlan.

the wedding: reception

We had the reception here.

We had barbecued brisket in a delicious buffet.

I hope that Susan and Fred (her husband, my uncle) got to relax a little bit and have fun after all the hard work they did.

Josh and I were busy most of the night making the rounds and greeting all the guests (we didn't have the typical line).

Though, we were able to sit down at our "sweetheart" table at the front of the room to eat some dinner. This way we could eat and people still knew where to find us.

We had the guests sign the book here. (Jessie made the guest book on Picaboo, and it's awesome.)

I loved our wedding cake and monogrammed topper.

I wish I got more of it than the piece Josh and I shared, because it was seriously delicious cake.

Close to the end of the party, I changed out of my wedding dress to get ready to leave with Josh. I hugged my family (old and new) good-bye, and I had to push back some bittersweet tears. It felt so strange leaving my parents and my siblings and all my in-laws behind, and I felt that I didn't have a chance to really process all of the wedding-day emotions. But it was so much fun, and so wonderful.

The next series of posts: the honeymoon.

the wedding: big day

So, here's the thing. Just about every picture is my favorite. I'll let the photos tell the story here. And FYI, this post will be a long one. Brace yourselves.

Lots of hugs.

Lots of pictures.

Family.

New family.

Love.

Lots and lots of love.

Plus really cute shoes.

Like I said, I can't pick a favorite.

Best. day. ever.

the wedding: flowers

My aunt Susan is the flower master. I am so lucky that she was able to do the flowers and decorations for everything.

She made close to 20 centerpieces.

And created tables like this:

And this:

And this:

And this:

Don't forget the paper lanterns:

And the bouquets:

And the most stunning bridal bouquet I've ever seen. Ever.

Susan, unfortunately, sustained some floral injury.

I am still so overwhelmed at the magnitude Susan's gift was to me and also my mother. I couldn't even come close to making the wedding as beautiful as Susan did. It was the most beautiful wedding any girl has ever had.

Susan, you're Wonder Woman.

the wedding: groom's dinner

We had a big family dinner the night before the wedding. It was fun to see everyone in a more casual, less hectic setting.

We had Senor Burrito cater, and it was delicious, delicious Mexican food!

I typically don't wear bedazzled title shirts, but this one seemed appropriate and tasteful for the evening.

Mom and I frequently would flash our ring fingers in a wedding-trumps-everything-in-a-fun-way motion.

For dessert we had a cake buffet with chocolate angel food cake, giant chocolate ding-dong cake, yellow cake with white mountain frosting, and cheesecake--all homemade. Obviously.

I had so much fun spending time with my family, Josh's family, and many of our close friends. One of my favorite moments actually was seeing Sarah sitting off to the side reading her Nancy Drew book toward the end of the night. I stepped away from the hubbub as well and had a few minutes of sister time.

I'd been looking forward to this family dinner almost as much as the actual wedding reception. It was a great way to take a deep breath before the big wedding day!

Next up: the flowers (yes, they do deserve their own post)

Note: All wedding-related photos are taken by Michelle. She was amazing.